Chapter 167 I Want to Infiltrate the Sacred Heart Society
They both saw the same judgment in each other's eyes—key information!
Xu's best friend, Lin Ling, was also at the scene four months ago, and both of them "disappeared".
This cannot be simply explained as "going back to one's parents' home".
Lu Zheng withdrew his gaze, nodded to the woman, and said in a steady tone, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. If you remember any details later, please feel free to contact us."
He offered the woman a few perfunctory words of comfort, then closed his notebook.
The woman nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, definitely."
Leaving the apartment building, the afternoon sun was a bit too bright.
Su Xiaonuan narrowed her eyes slightly, holding the inkstone in one hand and habitually touching her smooth chin with the other, looking at the tall Lu Zheng beside her: "Officer Lu, should we really go to Nanxun to verify this?"
Lu Zheng shook his head, his eyes calm and resolute: "No need to waste time. If Xu really returned to Nanxun, there would be a record of it, and her family would have contacted her. The current situation only confirms that she disappeared in this city. Therefore, that night of heated argument four months ago is highly suspicious."
He paused, then analyzed clearly, "Moreover, that neighbor mentioned that Lin Ling was also there at the time. Two adult women disappeared simultaneously, without a trace..."
He pondered for a moment and made a decision: "The clues are enough to open a case and take further action. Let's go back to the station to report and apply for the formal detention and interrogation of suspect Liu. At the same time, we must expand the search area, investigate all possible related locations in the city, and look for Xu and Lin Ling's last whereabouts. Two living people can't just disappear into thin air; someone must have seen them."
The two talked in hushed tones as they walked toward their car parked on the side of the road in the residential area.
Just then, Su Xiaonuan keenly sensed a gaze falling upon them.
She glanced at them discreetly out of the corner of her eye and saw an elderly gatekeeper in the guardhouse at the entrance of the residential complex, looking at them thoughtfully through the window.
She didn't stop walking, but gently nudged Lu Zheng's arm with her elbow, her voice extremely low, almost a whisper: "Lu Zheng, at nine o'clock, that old man has looked at us several times."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng's expression remained unchanged. He didn't even turn his head to look; he simply adjusted his direction and let his gaze naturally sweep across the duty room.
Just as their eyes were about to meet, the old man quickly and naturally looked away, picked up the teacup on the table, and pretended to drink water, as if his gaze had been merely an unintentional glance.
Su Xiaonuan couldn't help but furrow her delicate eyebrows.
Lu Zheng withdrew his gaze, his tone flat and devoid of emotion: "Let's go back first. We'll talk about everything after the case is officially filed and we get the search warrant and summons." He was experienced and knew that in this situation, rushing forward to ask questions might alert the suspect.
Su Xiaonuan understood the procedures and discipline for handling cases, nodded, and obediently replied, "Okay."
Back at the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, the familiar atmosphere made Su Xiaonuan relax a little.
She gently placed the inkstone she was holding on the cushioned chair that she had specially prepared for it next to Lu Zheng's workstation, tapped its wet little nose, and instructed, "Be a good boy and sleep here. Don't run around or touch Uncle Lu's things, okay? Mommy will be back after the meeting."
As if it truly understood, the inkstone responded with a "meow," then obediently curled up on the cushion, found a comfortable position, and lay down with its golden eyes half-closed, looking as if it was about to take a peaceful nap.
As Lu Zheng watched the interaction between the human and the cat, especially Su Xiaonuan's mature tone, a faint smile flickered almost imperceptibly in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he regained his usual coldness.
He tilted his head slightly towards Su Xiaonuan: "Let's go, they're waiting for us in the conference room."
The two entered the serious-looking conference room one after the other.
Several core members of the task force were already seated around the long table, including Qin Haoran, Xu Zhixian, Zhao Liming, and Zhao Liyue, who had just arrived.
As they entered, all eyes turned to them, and a heavy sense of anticipation filled the air.
Lu Zheng walked straight to the head seat and sat down, while Su Xiaonuan consciously found a seat on the side to minimize her presence, but her back was straight, showing her seriousness.
Without any pleasantries, Lu Zheng went straight to reporting the latest findings from the Xiangshan residential area investigation. His voice was steady and powerful, and his logic was clear.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became even more tense when he mentioned the neighbors' confirmation of a heated argument four months ago, the simultaneous disappearance of Xu and Lin Ling, and the strong suspicion surrounding Liu.
After the situation was explained, Lu Zheng's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Su Xiaonuan, indicating that she could speak.
Su Xiaonuan took a deep breath and did not show any fear under the watchful eyes of many experienced police officers.
She stood up, her baby face unusually serious and resolute. Her voice remained sweet and soft, but the content was clear and decisive: "I have an idea regarding the investigation of the Sacred Heart Society. An organization like theirs is quite large, and its members always need to eat. I want to use my culinary skills to try to contact the people in charge of purchasing or catering within their organization, gain their trust, and be introduced to them. Once inside, I can use the opportunity to gather intelligence, figure out their structure, core members, and perhaps even, at crucial moments, manipulate the food to coordinate with external actions, working together from the inside."
She laid out her plan in its entirety. Although the details still needed to be perfected, her bold ideas and clear goals elicited thoughtful and approving expressions from many in the audience.
Several key members in charge of the operation even began exchanging opinions in hushed tones, clearly believing that the plan was quite feasible.
However, as the person who proposed the plan, Su Xiaonuan noticed that there was one person who never expressed his opinion from beginning to end—Lu Zheng.
He sat there silently, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cold metal of the pen. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, his jawline was taut, and his eyes, which were always sharp as a hawk's, were now lowered. His thick eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyelids, making it impossible to see the true emotions in his eyes.
Qin Haoran, sitting next to him, took in all of this.
He knew Lu Zheng too well. This guy usually kept his emotions hidden, but this almost stiff silence said a lot.
Qin Haoran nudged Lu Zheng lightly with his elbow, leaned closer, and asked in a whisper that only the two of them could hear, with a hint of teasing and inquiry, "Hey, Lao Lu, everyone's given their opinions, what's wrong with you? Are you pretending to be deep? Such a bold and effective plan, you don't support it?"
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